18302. The Duty to Protect Suicidal Clients.

This paper provides an overview and analysis of the mental health professionalís duty to protect clients from suicide or attempted suicide. The analysis describes the current scope of the mental health professionalís duty to protect suicidal clients within the context of professional ethics and applicable case law. The therapistís duty to protect suicidal clients is analyzed in the context of patient confidentiality issues and patient-therapist privileged communications. Included in this analysis is a discussion of confidentiality issues that may arise in the aftermath of a completed patient suicide. KEYWORDS: patient suicide risk therapist duty to protect. Strict APA Style. 10 pages, 35 footnotes, 12 bibliographic sources plus legal references. 3,589 words.